Alibaba, led by founder Jack Ma, is China's biggest online commerce company and has expanded into entertainment with its 2014 acquisition of a 60 percent stake in a Hong Kong company that became Alibaba Pictures. Alibaba also owns the Youku Tudou online video service.

The partnership "marks an important milestone in our globalization strategy to reach Chinese and global audiences alike," said Alibaba Pictures chairman Shao Xiaofeng in a statement. "We will also leverage Alibaba Group's ecosystem as a channel for Amblin Partners' films to reach hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers."